EXCLUSIVE: Phillip Phillips talks about his debut album

It has been quite a journey for American Idol season 11 winner Phillip Phillips. After winning in May 2012, he went from his parent’s pawn shop to having a platinum hit with “Home,” which also happened to be the official song of the US women’s gymnastic’s team during the London Games.

That’s a lot to take in in a short amount of time.

His debut album The World from the Side of the Moon was released on Nov. 19. In this exclusive video, Phillips talks about his journey: “Having this all happen in such a short amount of time is just a blessing because I love music so much. It’s very therapeutic for me and I’m sure it is for so many other people. To be able to do that, to say I do this for a living, is just amazing,” he said.

In the midst of travelling and meeting so many new people, he has managed to stay grounded, remembering those moments at the beginning of his career: “I remember playing gigs and there’d be like five or ten people there,” he said. “I remember those small gigs when nobody was really listening. Now everybody’s just so into it when I go out to play and it’s an amazing feeling.”

Brittany Mahaney is a regular contributor to ANDPOP.com and the former Online Editor. She obsesses over cat videos and boy bands, and often ends up on the weird part of the internet. You can follow her on twitter at @britt_mahaney or brittanymahaney.com.